Corkscrew



(No Model.) R CLOUG-H.

GORKSCRBW.

No. 474,055. Patented May 3, 1892.

IN VEN TOR STATES PATENT Fries.

VILLIAM R. CLOUGH, OF ALTON, NF HAMPSHIRE.

CORKSCREW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,055, dated IVIay 3,1892. Application tiled January l2, 1892. Serial No. 417,785. (Nomodel.)

T0 all whom. t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. CLoUGH, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Alton, in the county of Belknap and State of NewHampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCorkscrews, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in corkscrews, and particularly toimprovements in the class of corkserews described and claimed in LettersPatent of the United States No.. 161,755, grantedl to me April 6, 1875,in which patent it will be found that the corkscrew is formed from arodrof wire twisted spirally for a portion of its length to form a wormor screw, the remaining portion being bent into an annular orpolygonalshaped loop to form the handle, the free end of the wire being securedat the upper end of the spiral worin.

The object of the present invention is to increase the efficiency anddurability of the corkscrew, particularly in the handle part, and renderits use more convenient, and at the same time to provide an effectivesurface whereon a name or advertisement may be Y conspicuouslydisplayed.The corkscrews being largely manufactured for use in vials and medicinebottles, the wire is necessarily thin and the article is consequentlynot in many cases as strong as desirable. The weakness in the corkscrewshows itself particularly in the handle, which under the pressurenecessary to withdraw a tight-fitting cork frequently elongates orcollapses longitudinally. A further objection to the screw is that inextracting a tight-fitting cork the Wire, being thin, cuts into orbruises the finger inserted through the handle.

My invention remedies the foregoing objections entirely, since byitIproduce a corkscrew having a handle which will neither collapse norcut the finger of the user, and at the saine time will afford a surfaceon which the name of the contents of the bottle or other matter may beplaced.

It will thus be seen that according to my present inventionI havepreserved the valuable features of the well-known corkscrew shown in myaforesaid patent, and in addition have increased its efficiency anddurability and added features of prime importance.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whieh-Figure 1 is a plan View of a corkscrew embodying the invention. Fig. 2is a central vertical longitudinal section of saine on the dotted line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section through the upperpart of the handle of same.

In the accompanying drawings the corkscrew is illustrated as consistingof the handle A, helix or stop B, and worm O, the Whole being formedfrom a single rod of wire. It is to be remembered that the object of theinvention is to prevent the collapsing of the handle A, avoidcutting thefinger in the act of withdrawing a cork, and afford asurface to bear thename of the contents of the bottle or other matter; and to this end thehandle A in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 has applied to its upper portion the plateD in the form of an arched brace, which at its lower edges is wrappedaround the wire of the handle and at its upper edges extends outwardfrom but on the same vertical plane as said wire.

That portion of the plate D wrapped around the handle A constitutes anelongated eye E, closely encompassing the wire of the handle throughoutits upper portion, as indicated in Fig. 1, and serving' to strengthensaid handle on such lines as to prevent its collapsing under p thepressure necessary to withdraw a tightly-fitting cork. The elongated eyeE not only strengthens the handle A, but also widens the surface againstwhich the pressure of the finger is brought inthe operation of eX-tracting a cork, and thereby prevents the wire from cutting into thefinger. The handle A is thus not only strengthened and its efficiencyand durability thereby increased, but a broad surface is presented forcontact with the iinger, which renders the use of the corkscrewconvenient and safe. Vhile the elongated eye E fully performs thefunctions of increasing the efiiciency of the corkscrew and renderingits use convenient, it also serves the further purpose of a support forthe vertical portion or fiange F of the plate D, which portion F affordsa conspicuous surface upon which the name of the material in the bottleor other matter may be displayed, and at the same time the said portionF, being on a vertical plane, materially adds to lOO the strength of theeye E and the handle A. It will be observed that an upward pressureapplied Within the ,handle A would be effectually resisted by the twothicknesses of the eye E on opposite sides of the wire of the handle andalso by the depth of the arched brace or flange F of the plate D, andthat in respect to the flange F the resistance will be in line with thedepth thereof. Thus the handle A is rendered durable and effectual, itsuse convenient and comfortable, and it is utilized to carry a surfaceupon which an advertisement may be conspicuously displayed.

In the form of the invention illustrated in the drawings the flange isin line with the length of the corkscrew and in a position to afford themaximum resistance to any interior pressure applied within the handle,which in the absence of said flange may thereby collapse or be elongatedlongitudinally. The a'nge also being on the same vertical plane as thescrew presents a surface upon which the name of the contents of thebottle may be easily and conveniently read and mistakes thereby avoidedas to the nature of the contents of the bottle. The surface presented bythe flange on the handles also alfords a conspicuous advertising-surfaceand one Very desirable to the trade. The importance of strengthening thehandle A and of affording a conspicuous advertising-surface cannotbeoverestimated, nor is the preventing of the wire of the handle fromcutting the linger during the extraction of a tight-litting cork lessimportant.

All of the functions performed by the invention sought to be protectedhereby are of vital importance to the successful ruanufacf tu re of thecorkscrew and renderit eiectual, durable, convenient of use, anddesirable in many other particulars.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

i l. A corkscrew having the open handle provided with the flangeextending vertically above the outer periphery of the handle, theportion of the handle below the base of the flange along the length ofthe flange being broader in cross-section than the thickness of theflange, whereby to afford a broad bearing for the fingers beneath theflange, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The corkscrew having the handle and worm, combined with the verticalplate formed with an arched eye inclosing the wire of said handle,whereby said plate is held in an upright position and the handle isstrengthened by the arched eye, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

3. The corkscrew having the open handle, combined with the arched eye E,encompassing the wire of the handle and by its arch strengthening thehandle and preventing it from collapsing and forming an enlarged bearingfor the fingers, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 11th day of January, A. D. 1892.

WILTAM R. CLOUGH. W itnesses:

CHAs. C. GILL, En. D. MILLER.

